I purchased an older Santa Cruz Blur frame today. From what I can gather the shock mounted on the frame gives 5.5" of travel. I'm looking to buy a fork to match. Do I need to go with a 140mm fork, or would something like 120 work? What are the problems associated with differing lengths of suspension between the front and rear?

1 Answer
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The different lengths of suspension will affect the geometry by giving your bike a steeper (or not) head angle. Too much travel might make it tougher to pedal as well, depending on the fork's settings. A too long/short fork (compared to what it was designed to use) might put some unnecessary stress on the tubes and for that reason forks outside of a certain range void warranties.

The blur is designed for a 5.5 in / 140 mm fork. I'd suggest going to a local Santa Cruz dealer (if such a thing exists where you live) and ask them if 120 mm is fine too.